Category Archives: PVC Chart

Here are some pictures I just took of our current Literacy Work Stations. The activities will change in them about once a month or so–depending upon when we get bored with them. I will pull different activities in and keep some of the old ones out or even hide them for another time in the future. At this point, the activities are pretty self explanatory, but if you have any questions–please ask! 🙂

Kristen 🙂

Classroom Library Station and poster

Big Book Work Station and Poster (I store my Big Books that the children are allowed to use in this tub–all others are kept in my big book cart.

Rainbow words that will become part of the Word Work Station

This is the current activity at the Word Work Station–each day when a different student is the Special Helper, we cut their name up (the Building Blocks way) and put it in an envelope. The students who visit this station put the letters back together and say them outloud. They are only allowed to get out one name at a time at this point.

New station today–I got 4 brand new Schoolhouse Leap Pads from a grant I wrote on DonorsChoose.org (Thank you Washington Township Schools Foundation!!). I also received 13 new books to go with them. They each came with a AC adapter and headphones!! I’m in Leap Pad Heaven!! 🙂

OOOPS! This picture should be up with the Word Work Station. This is our word wall. After reading Debbie Dillers’ book, I headed her suggestion to put it on a magnetic surface so it’s interactive. The kids will use this for ABC sequencing activities, name recognition, and several other games.

This is our overhead Work Station. I would love to have it in a stationary spot, but because of the arrangement of our tables and where the screen is located, we have to roll it back and forth–I’m thinking of changing things around a little though to help with this problem.

Anyway, there is a box of magnetic letters stored with the overhead and the kids use that to spell their names and to make other words they see. I have more letters available if they need more to spell words.

This is my new and improved and just built yesterday Pocket Chart Work Station. My hubby built this for me after the small ones just didn’t have enough room for the size of poems I wanted to use. This one is 5 feet tall by 3 1/2 feet wide. It’s perfect for the kids to reach, standing or sitting. Eventually, they kids will use Wiki Sticks, highlighter tape, and other materials to find letters, words, rhymes, etc.

Here are a few more pictures. One is the back of the stand and the other is how I store the past sentence strip poems/stories.

Writing Work Station and poster–right now the kids are just experimenting with the materials I have here: markers, crayons, stencils, paper, stamps, stickers, etc. Eventually, they will write words they see and work on editing their Writer’s Workshop writings.

ABC Work Station–the children have 2 options here. They can either sequence a set of 3D ABC cards or they can hunt for letters in the tube. There is a pad for recording the letters they have found.

This is our current Puzzles and Games Station option–DORA’s ABC game. I have 2 children at this station and they take turns making the sounds and naming the letters.

These are the 2 current options for Handwriting Station. The children have 2 ways they can practice writing their letters. One is the Lakeshore Literacy Instant Learning Center and the second are two mats I picked up from Target. They use dry erase markers for them and then erase.

Listening Work Station-again another self explanatory station. I change the book each week to mesh with our theme, sometimes I pick a favorite read aloud.

Like this:

Here are some pictures that I took today, so enjoy and let me know if you have any questions/comments!

Kristen 😉

This is where I store my skill folders that the kids use each morning when they first come in. The blue tub on top holds dry erase markers. The folders are well loved! The folders contain pages that are protected by sheet protectors. We use dry erase markers on them and clean them with baby wipes or tissues or even the occasional eraser! 🙂

My new reading work station, tucked away in a corner by the window where it’s sunny. I have lots of comfy pillows, chairs, stuffed animals, etc.

My Big book stand, where we write Morning Message, getting to know you activities and cut up names (from Building Blocks)

The listening center. The Kinder. Kids will sit at the table nearby to listen to tapes.

This mess will soon be my parent volunteer table. Just as soon as I get it cleaned off!

Some of the Literacy games that my parent volunteers can play with the Kinder. Kids!

Math games in the parent volunteer area.

I hope this picture better defines this space. This is the zoomed out version of the parent volunteer area. It will look so nice when it’s done!

The Kinder. kids will put their baggie books and red folders here when they come in each morning. (on the right) The cart on the left will be used for the ABC Work Station.

This is how we find out who is bringing lunch, getting just milk or eating a hot lunch. The Kinder. Kids use tounge depressors with their names on them to “vote”. Eventually, they will enter their “PIN” numbers into the dining room computer and not need to use them.

We take these notebooks into the cafe with us daily so the Kinder. Kids can write/draw when they are done with lunch and to stay out of trouble.

My Work Stations management chart.

How quickly my desk area went from clean to a disaster!

This is my awards wall. I like to put up my awards to affirm that I do good work everyday in my classroom! 🙂

I love cows!! My sister painted the bottom painting for me and I got the one on top from Target a few years ago.

This is how we will organize our binders (on the top part) and our baby wipes, tissues, and writer’s workshop folders on the bottom. Crayons and supply buckets are stored on top.

This is how I keep my assessment records for each Kinder. Kid. They each have a red folder with their assessment data that goes inside a hanging file which holds their Writer’s Workshop pieces at the end of each month.

This is how I keep blank paper at each of the tables for Writer’s Workshop. I’m having trouble with the round tables though! I think I will put it in a regluar file basket and leave it in the center of the table for them.

This is how I store all my assessment masters, assessment booklets, and any other important papers that I will need to copy repeatdly.

A few panoramic views of the room!

This is one of three closets where the Kinder. Kids hang their backpacks and coats. The upper part is for storage.

So, see, I told you it was coming along!! Still LOTS of work to be done yet, but it will get done–it always does!

Like this:

I also belong to the KinderKorner group and had a question about materials falling out of the pocket charts because they hang straight down. So the pocket chart now hangs at a slight angle, enough to keep those materials in and Kinder. Kids happy! 🙂

To accomodate that, I simply punched some holes at the bottom of the chart with my Crop-A-Dile (We R Memory Keepers makes them), but I think a regular hole punch would work too and inserted grommets or large sized eyelets.

EDIT~*~*I think this would work even if you didn’t set grommets or eyelets in the chart because it’s make of thicker plastic~*~*~

I then secured the chart to the leg (originally meant to hold up a big book) with large book binding rings:

Here are several views of the idea. The rings can easily be removed so that it can be used for big books as well. Hope this makes sense!

Like this:

EDIT ~*~*~* 7/15/08 ~*~*~*The directions for this chart are for the small pocket charts available at the Target Dollar Spot-summer 2008. If you would like to make a stand for a full size pocket chart, measure the length and width of your chart and add two inches to each measurement. I would use 1 inch diameter PVC for a full size chart-for strength and durability.

Here are the directions, in pictures how to make the small PVC pocket chart stand pictured below. You will see my two able bodied assistants in the pictures (my hubby and son–don’t worry, he only marked where to cut!).

Step 1: Collect your materials: These are directions on how to make a pocket chart stand that will double as a big book stand (to make the other kind-just a pocket chart, subtract the last step). We used PVC pipe that was 1/2 inch in diameter. The total cost for 3 stands was $21.30, you will also need PVC glue

You will need to measure the length and width of your pocket chart. Mine from the Dollar Spot at Target are 16×26. We made the stand 18×28 so they would hang flat.

Once all your pieces are cut, you can begin assembly. Take the 18 inch piece and glue it to two elbow pieces. Then glue the two 28 pieces to the bottom of the elbows. See result below:

Next, glue on two “T” connectors to the bottom of the 28 inch pieces:

Glue in 2 4 inch leg pieces on each side:

Next, attach an elbow joint to the ends of each of the 4 inch pieces and point them up:

Glue in the rest of the 4 inch pieces into the elbow joints and put caps on the ends to prevent scratches:

You are done!

Make sure to double check that you have glued all the joints together and wiped down with rubbing alcohol to get the sticky labels off the piping.

I used shower curtain rings or you could use book binding rings or even binder clips to hold the chart on. I also attached two charts back to back, so that two students can use this at once or can read big books at the same time.

Like this:

Aren’t husbands the best??…mine is also a teacher so he understands my crazy Kindergarten teacher brain–most of the time anyway, and because of that, I can get him to build me most things I need. Today, we took a trip to Lowe’s and got all the materials to make these small, table top PVC pocket chart stands. They are perfect for the Pocket Charts available right now in the Dollar Spot at Target (July 2008). I got 6 of them and had him build me 3 stands, thinking I would have two stuudents work back to back on them.

After he built one, we decided to extend the feet a little and make it a dual purpose stand. It can also hold Big Books!! So, after I nicely asked him to build me 3, I think I may ask him to build me one more so I can use it just for Big Books! I also know there is some spray paint out there for plastic, so I may jazz these up a little doing that.

BTW…the pocket charts have a strange odor to them, almost like a moth ball smell. I noticed that the teachers on http://www.teachers.net were talking about it too–it seems that a little Febreeze and Lysol spray and a good soak in the good old sunshine is doing the trick to get the smell out. Just know when you open your’s it too will smell!

Now on to the pictures…

I just asked my hubby really nicely, and he is going to let me take pictures of him building the 3rd one, so I will post those so you can see how it all goes together and we will post a materials list too!

Kristen 🙂

P.S. I am using shower curtain rings to hold the chart on to the stand. I just wanted to say…I sure do love my hubby! He is so great–I get flowers for no reason at all, just because! I am truly so lucky to have him! 🙂

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Please note that all items contained on these pages are copyrighted by Kristen Poindexter. They may be downloaded for use in your classroom only and reproduced for student use only. Please do not make any changes to the downloads without written consent from the author. If you print them out for use, or display them on your website, I ask that you please give credit to me or link back to my site. You can contact me at fuzzlady77@hotmail.com if you have any questions, comments, or concerns! Thanks and enjoy my Kindergarten Classroom!